Recommendations of the Editorial team
Israel’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was one of the most discussed moments of the evening even before the first note was sung. Noam Bettan represents Israel in Vienna with the song “Michelle” – and is thus at the center of a debate that has accompanied the competition for weeks. Five countries boycotted this year’s ESC in protest against Israel’s participation: Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland stayed away from the competition this year. The background is Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel in 2023. While the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) maintained Israel’s right to start, critics accused the organizers of applying double standards – especially in comparison to Russia, which is still excluded.
Böhmermann and Schulz were bored by the song
Even though Noam Bettan is way ahead of the bookmakers, the song doesn’t stay in your head for long – but that’s not least due to the thankless third place in the event’s starting order. The ESC commentators Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz, who moderated for Austria, failed with the song: They sang along bored and didn’t have any kind words for the song at the end of the performance.
On the Internet, viewers are discussing less about the song than about the controversy surrounding Israel’s participation. Many people are using the opportunity to draw more attention to events in the Gaza Strip rather than engaging with Noam Bettan’s musical performance. Many comments continue to revolve around the question of whether a country that is under such international criticism should appear at the ESC.
Supporters of participation, on the other hand, point out that Noam Bettan was not selected by the Israeli government, but by the public broadcaster KAN – and that the ESC should remain a place of encounter despite all the political tensions. The EBU had also repeatedly emphasized this argument: the competition does not see itself as a political stage, but as a musical event that is intended to bring countries and people together.
Israel and the ESC: Protests also before the show
The controversy also remained visible in Vienna immediately before the final show. Emergency services counted around 2,600 people protesting against Israel’s participation. The police initially did not give an official number. The demonstration was peaceful; posters read, among other things, slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine” and “Eurovision Block”. There had already been smaller protests, including a so-called “song protest”, a mixture of concert and demonstration that was intended to draw attention to the situation of the people in Gaza. However, significantly fewer people gathered there than initially expected.
What are the chances for Israel at the ESC 2026?
For the bookmakers, Israel is still one of the evening’s favorites. With “Michelle”, Noam Bettan had around a seven percent chance of winning shortly before the final – on par with Greece and well behind the favored Finnish duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen. Whether Israel ultimately scores points primarily because of the song, because of the political debate or because of both, will be one of the most exciting questions of this ESC finale.
